Evaluating Practice-based Learning and Teaching in Art and Design

The University of the Arts London is host to the Creative Learning in Practice Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CLIP CETL), which has funded a number of small course-based evaluative and developmental projects. These projects have been designed by course tutors in conjunction with the CLIP CETL team, who are evaluating them to better understand and extend the pedagogies of practice-based teaching and learning. Practice-based learning is a way of conceptualising and organising student learning which can be used in many applied disciplinary contexts. Such pedagogies we argue are founded on the claim that learning to practice in the creative industries requires engagement with authentic activities in context (Lave and Wenger 1991, Wenger 2000). This short paper will describe some of the initial evaluation and research activities in two colleges; identify and define practice-based activities in the context of the courses where the research is being carried out; identify emerging pedagogic frameworks; and discuss implications for further development. Activities identified in the projects undertaken include: Opportunities to develop students‟ direct contact with industry Simulating work-based learning in the University Event-based learning Enhancing professional practice and PPD The authors are seeking to elicit, analyse and evaluate what is often implicit in practitioner-teachers, and the experience of developing pedagogies for extending practice-based learning. We will be theorising from statements made by practitioners in semi-structured interviews and evidence provided in progress reporting from the project teams

Comparison of calculated and experimental cascade performance for controlled-diffusion compressor stator blading

The mid-span section of a previously reported controlled-diffusion compressor stator has been experimentally evaluated in cascade. Measurements are taken over a range of incidence angles for blade chord Reynolds numbers from 470,000 to 690,000. Blade chord length is 12.7 cm, aspect ratio is 2.0, and solidity is 1.67. Measurements include conventional cascade performance parameters as well as blade surface pressures. Computations are made for the inviscid flow field, surface boundary layers, and loss for several of the blade inlet angle conditions, are compared against corresponding data

Doing and using educational research : engaging researchers, practitioners and policy makers in productive partnerships

Un aspecte clau per als investigadors educatius que pretenen que el seu treball contribueixi a canviar el sistema educatiu en general i les escoles en particular és com promoure que els dissenyadors de polítiques i els docents usin i possiblement es comprometin en la recerca. La difusió dels resultats en investigació educativa és problemàtica en alguns sentits. No és de fàcil accés per a usuaris potencials ni en el format imprès ni electrònic, particularment per als docents que no poden accedir a biblioteques reservades a docents o a serveis de recerca electrònica. L'ús dels resultats de la investigació educativa com a font d'informació per a la presa de decisions sobre la reforma educativa ha estat recentment considerat com a àrea d'estudi. A nivell nacional, al Regne Unit la major part de polítiques i estratègies són donades a conèixer a través de la investigació educativa i a través del procés d'aplicació que influencien els docents a les escoles. Estudis recents han demostrat com els professors de les aules i escoles poden usar i prendre part en investigació per al seu propi ús i crear, d'aquesta manera, nou coneixement. No obstant això, es necessita entendre bastant més sobre aquests processos i sobre com es pot donar suport als docents en els intents esmentats.A key issue for educational researchers who intend their work to influence change both in the educational system and in individual schools is how to engage key stakeholders both policy makers and practitioners in using and possibly engaging in research. The dissemination of the outcomes of educational research is problematic in several respects. It is not easily accessible to potential users in printed or electronic form, particularly to practitioners who do not have access to academic libraries or electronic search facilities. The utilization of educational research findings to inform decisions about educational change has only recently been opened up as an area of study. At a national level in the UK, most policies and strategies are informed by educational research and through the implementation process they do influence practitioners in schools. Recent studies have shown how practitioners in schools and classrooms can use and engage in research for themselves to create new knowledge. However it is clear that much more needs to be understood about these processes and how practitioners can be supported in these endeavours.Un aspecto clave para los investigadores educativos que pretenden que su trabajo contribuya a cambiar el sistema educativo en general y las escuelas en particular es cómo captar a los diseñadores de políticas y a los docentes para que usen y posiblemente se comprometan en investigación. La difusión de los resultados en investigación educativa es problemática en algunos sentidos. No es de fácil acceso para usuarios potenciales ni en formato impreso ni electrónico, particularmente para los docentes que no pueden acceder a bibliotecas reservadas a docentes o a servicios de búsqueda electrónica. El uso de los resultados de la investigación educativa como fuente de información para la toma de decisiones sobre la reforma educativa ha sido recientemente considerado como área de estudio. A nivel nacional, en el Reino Unido la mayor parte de políticas y estrategias son dadas a conocer a través de la investigación educativa y a través del proceso de aplicación que influencian a los docentes en las escuelas. Estudios recientes han demostrado cómo los profesores de las aulas y escuelas pueden usar y tomar parte en investigación para su propio uso y crear, de esta manera, nuevo conocimiento. No obstante, se necesita entender mucho más sobre estos procesos y cómo apoyar a los docentes en dichos intentos

A comparison of nurses\u27 clinical judgement and the short form-mini nutritional assessment tool in assessing the nutritional status of older patients in an acute clinical setting

Decreased nutritional status of older hospitalised patients has been identified as a significant problem. The prevalence of malnutrition in older people has been reported to be between 17% and 65% in acute hospital settings. This has led to the recognition of a need for a valid instrument to adequately assess nutritional status. Tools developed to date still require much time and expertise to implement, limiting their use within the practical setting. Nurses are in an ideal position to conduct nutritional assessments. They possess clinical knowledge which can be utilised to provide individualised and timely assessment. To. date, the literature does not indicate that any specific comparison between nurses\u27 clinical judgement and a nutritional assessment tool has been conducted to verify the reliability of nurses\u27 clinical judgement in the assessment of nutritional status with older patients in an acute clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to compare nurses\u27 clinical judgement with a validated assessment tool the Short Form-Mini Nutritional Assessment in assessing the nutritional status of older patients in the acute clinical setting. This was to determine whether nurses\u27 clinical judgement can accurately assess older patients\u27 nutritional status. The study used a descriptive comparative design. The sample consisted of 138 patients aged 65 years and over in a major teaching hospital in Perth, Western Australia. The assessment tool was used by the investigator to assess the nutritional status of the patients. Nurses were asked to assess the same patients using their clinical judgement. Assessments were rated as 0 (normal) or 1 (possible malnutrition). Eligible patients were invited to participate and consent was obtained from participants or their relative prior to commencement of any assessment. Findings from this study indicate that nurses failed to assess 33% of patients as having possible malnutrition compared with the MNA-SF (using the lower cut off score of 10 for possible malnutrition). A total of 35% (n= 48) of patients were assessed by nurses as having a possible risk of malnutrition compared with 60% (n= 83) of patients assessed using the MNA-SF (using the lower cut off score of 10 for possible malnutrition). Nurses agreed with the tool for just over 50% of all assessments. Analysis by the kappa statistic showed that the strength of agreement between nurses\u27 clinical judgment and the MNA -SF, using the cut off score of 10, was fair (0.222; 95% CI, of 0.08 to 0.36). The strength of agreement for the majority of comparisons between nurses\u27 clinical judgment and the MNA-SF by demographic variables within this study was found to be poor. The discrepancy between nurse and tool assessments within this study warrants an evaluation and development of nutritional education for nurses to assist them in their assessment of older patients\u27 nutritional status. Additionally, the findings of this study indicate that the implementation of an assessment tool may be useful to assist nurses in assessing their patients\u27 nutritional status. Further research is recommended to identify an appropriate nutritional assessment tool for the acute clinical setting

Wormholes: Gates to the Stars?

One of the most consistently fascinating results of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is the prediction of wormholes – astronomical objects which are, among other things, capable of serving as a connection between two distant regions of space. The simplest class of wormholes are Schwarzschild wormholes – wormholes that behave as non-rotating, non-charged black holes, except that the event horizon serves as a connection to another wormhole elsewhere, instead of a point of no return. This research presentation analyzes the attributes that make a Schwarzschild wormhole unsuitable for human travel, and examines the conditions that would have to hold for human travel through a wormhole to be possible. Following the work of Morris and Thorne, we examine the constraints that these conditions place on the metric and on the stress-energy tensor. It is shown that these constraints require a configuration of matter that violates accepted energy conditions, and is therefore likely to be non-physical. Avenues for further research with the potential to minimize these violations are outlined

"If you're on good terms with those people, you'll always have a place to eat": a Bourdieusian approach to food justice in a pay-what-you-can café

2017 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Alternative food initiatives (AFIs) are widespread, leading to questions from food justice scholars about whether these initiatives are doing justice. One common question is the degree to which initiatives are inclusive of race and class differences. This thesis undertook a four-month qualitative study of a unique, but less commonly studied initiative, a pay-what-you-can (PWC) cafe in a Mountain West state. The organizational structure lacks financial barriers to entry, allowing for people from all economic statuses to participate. Through a Bourdieusian analytical framework, and a multifaceted notion of justice, the thesis finds that the organizational rhetoric that values community, providing 'good food' to those without money, and recognizing the abilities of different individuals, explains which groups participate, how they are recognized, and the distribution of resources within the cafe. This matters because it shows how values and broader organizational rules affect how AFIs are able to do justice. These findings contribute to the literature on AFIs by focusing on newly emerging PWCs and expands debates about how such initiatives do food justice

This Used to Be a Synagogue

Histor

Rainwater Harvesting for Drought Mitigation and Flood Management

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) in the UK has seen a low level of uptake relative to similar settings such as Australia and Germany. The relatively low cost of municipal water in the UK limits the financial savings associated with RWH systems, especially in a domestic setting. Although financial benefits can be relatively low (in terms of reduced water bills), academic and practitioner studies have demonstrated the potential for RWH to significantly reduce potable water demands at typical UK houses. Hence, increased uptake of RWH has potential to contribute to mitigating droughts in water scarce regions. Stormwater management in the UK is receiving increasing attention at all levels; from grass-roots sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) such as downpipe disconnections and raingardens; through to implementation of urban realm attenuation schemes and continued development of guidance from UK policy makers. The public realm nature of most SuDS presents a need for partnership approaches to be fostered between infrastructure mangers and the general public. The application of RWH as a technology within the SuDS management train has been limited in the UK as policy makers have taken the view that RWH tanks may be full at the start of a design storm, and thus the potential for attenuation and peak discharge reduction has been largely ignored. However, in the last few years there has been a shift in emphasis; from RWH perceived purely as a water demand management technology to a focus on its wider benefits e.g. mitigating surface water flooding through improved stormwater management. RWH systems examined in this thesis are now available which offer multiple benefits to both end-users and water service providers. The application of RWH in a dual purpose configuration (to displace potable water demands and control stormwater discharges) has seen increasing interest during the development of this thesis. However, the successful design of RWH as a stormwater management tool requires a series of calculations to be completed. To date, practitioners have frequently relied upon low-resolution heuristic methods which lead to a small range of configurations being deployed, with minimal demonstrable stormwater control benefits. In this thesis, full details of novel and traditional RWH technologies were identified and described. Empirical data was collected, both in laboratory conditions and at field sites, to identify the real world operating characteristics of a range of RWH configurations. Additionally a new time series evaluation methodology was developed to enable RWH systems to be designed and analysed. This method quantifies water demand benefits and also focusses on stormwater management metrics (i.e. largest annual discharge and total discharge volume per year). The method was developed to enable a range of RWH configurations to be evaluated at a given site. In addition, a decision support tool (RainWET) was developed and tested which enabled the methods to be deployed in real world settings. The application of the RainWET software allowed a UK-wide, time series analysis of RWH configurations to be completed and the holistic benefits of a range of dual purpose RWH systems to be analysed and described. Evidence from the UK study suggests that a traditional RWH installation (3000l storage, 300l/day demand and 60m2 roof) installed at a house in a water scarce region (London, SAAR 597mm) was able to fully mitigate stormwater overflows over a 20 year analysis whilst providing a mean water saving of 31,255l/annum. An equivalent system located in the wettest region studied (Truro, SAAR 1099mm) saw mean reductions in the largest annual storm of 62% (range 35-86%) whilst satisfying a mean rainwater demand of 50,912l/annum. The study concluded that suitably designed dual purpose RWH systems offered better stormwater management benefits than those designed without a stormwater control device. In addition, the integration of smart RWH controls were shown to maximise stormwater control benefits with little or no reduction in a system’s ability to satisfy non-potable water demands.Severn Trent WaterEPSR

Qualitative microanalysis

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1933. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive